Mourinho said: “He can speak about the referees before the game, can speak about the referees after the game, can push people in the technical area, can cry in the morning, can cry in the afternoon, nothing happens. Can be not achieved, keep the job, still the king. It’s a privilege.”

Speaking after the game, Wenger insisted he did not feel like a “king” as Mourinho had called him.

He said: “No, I feel I have just done my job with the team and for our fans. That’s what you want. Honestly I’m not too much concerned about the other results. Thirty years in football now, and I know that what is important is to play football well.”

And when asked if he believed he got away with everything, Wenger replied: “No, I didn’t realise that, I must say.”

Arsenal host United on Sunday with Wenger admitting the title race is wide open after Manchester City’s defeat at Tottenham.

He said: “Two weeks ago, you could say one team were going to run away with it and now it’s tight again. You have to be consistent. That’s what we focus on. I feel that the quality of our game is getting better, week by week, and overall we are finding the level that we had shown at the end of last season.

“We came to Leicester, who had not lost a game this season, and the fact that we could win in a convincing way is of course good for our confidence as well.”